Division I Women

UMBC Hands Drexel First Loss of Season

from press release

CATONSVILLE, Md. – UMBC
women’s lacrosse sophomore midfielder Alyssa Semones
(Westminster, Md./Westminster/Penn State) scored a game-high four
goals for the third time this season, as the Retrievers exploded
for an 11-goal second half, including eight-straight scores, in a
14-8 victory against Drexel on Saturday afternoon at UMBC Stadium.
The black and gold handed the Dragons, who are receiving votes in
the national poll, its first loss of the season.

Semones added an assist for a total of five points on the afternoon
and pulled in six draws, while junior attack Shannon Harkey
(Purcellville, Va./Loudon Valley) also chipped in five points,
adding two assists to her hat trick.

UMBC sophomore attack Abby Wilson (Bel Air, Md./Fallston) opened
the game’s scoring, picking up her eighth of the season on a
free position shot to put the Retrievers out in front 1-0. Drexel
went on to score three straight, two coming from senior attack
Alysa Maiden, to take a 3-1 lead with 14:51 remaining in the
first.

With less than a minute left in the opening half, the Retrievers
knotted the contest up at three, with pair of goals coming within
16 seconds from Semones. Semones bounced her first underneath the
crossbar on a free position shot, while the second came off a
beautiful pass from junior midfielder Kristen Bilney (Ellicott
City, Md./Centennial). The Dragons were able take back the lead
before the half, scoring with six seconds left on the clock, on a
long shot coming off the draw from junior midfielder Amanda Norcini
to put Drexel up 4-3 at the half.

The Retrievers exploded out of the break, connecting on eight of
their first 10 shots. Semones started the run, scoring the
equalizer into the top right corner of the net at 26:08 off a pass
from senior midfielder Lindsay Cox (High Bridge, N.J./Voorhees).
Harkey came from behind the net and slipped past her defender,
putting away one of her three unassisted goals on the afternoon
1:14 later to give the Retrievers the lead for good, 5-4.

UMBC netted four more goals in the next 1:32, two coming from Cox
and a goal and assist for both Semones and Bilney, to give the
black and gold a 9-4 advantage with 22:13 left. The Retrievers were
not done yet, as Wilson tabbed her second goal of the contest and
junior midfielder Mary Milligan (Edgewater, Md./South River/Anne
Arundel CC) scored her first goal as a member of the Retrievers
with 11:58 on the clock to put UMBC out in front, 11-4.

The Dragons looked to stop the bleeding, as Kelli Joran placed a
shot inside the right post for her first score of the afternoon,
but the Retrievers responded with two more goals, coming from
Harkey and sophomore attack Jordan Lyons (Peterborough, Ontario/St.
Peter’s Secondary) to make it a seven goal deficit for the
Dragons.

Drexel recorded three of the last four goals in the contest, but it
was too little too late for the Dragons.

UMBC senior goalkeeper Kendall Mason (Lloyd Harbor, N.Y./Cold
Spring Harbor) made eight stops for the second-straight contest.
Drexel goalkeepers Teresha Bradley and Amanda Santandrea each saw
action in net for the Dragons. Bradley was credited with the loss,
her first of the season, after allowing 11 goals.

The Retrievers connected on 14 of their 24 shots in the contest and
held a 10-6 advantage on draw controls in the second
half.